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Sun, 02 Aug 2015 22:30:27 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Matthew Vaughn Wants to Make a HIT-GIRL Prequel for KICK-ASShttp://nerdist.com/matthew-vaughn-wants-to-make-a-hit-girl-prequel-for-kick-ass/
http://nerdist.com/matthew-vaughn-wants-to-make-a-hit-girl-prequel-for-kick-ass/#commentsFri, 19 Jun 2015 12:30:44 +0000http://nerdist.com/?p=267739The disappointing box office performance of Kick-Ass 2 seemingly destroyed any chance that Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s creator-owned comic book would get a third movie. (Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn and Millar successfully re-teamed for Kingsman: The Secret Service; which was a success.) But according to Vaughn, the Kick-Ass franchise isn’t as dead as it appeared to be.

During an online Q&A, Vaughn noted that he is “not happily done with the [Kick-Ass] franchise. Kick-Ass is a really important film to me. I am very proud of it, and we would like to dip our toe back into it…We’re working on an idea for a prequel of how did Hit-Girl and Big Daddy become Hit-Girl and Big Daddy. It’s quite a fun idea that we’ve come up with. If we make that, hopefully that will be the sorbet for the people that didn’t like Kick-Ass 2 and then we can go off and make Kick-Ass 3. I think we’ve got to do this prequel to regain the love that we had with Kick-Ass.”

Although Chloë Grace Moretz’s Hit-Girl would have to be recast for a prequel movie, this would open the door for Nicolas Cage to reprise his role as Big Daddy.

Vaughn has previously indicated his desire to bring Moretz and Aaron Taylor Johnson back for Kick-Ass 3, which would take place in the far east with a new director. Vaughn is currently working on Kingsman 2 alongside Millar and the team from the first Kingsman movie.

]]>http://nerdist.com/matthew-vaughn-wants-to-make-a-hit-girl-prequel-for-kick-ass/feed/0Pop Culture Icons Meet Ancient Egyptian Art As HERO-GLYPHICShttp://nerdist.com/pop-culture-icons-meet-ancient-egyptian-art-as-hero-glyphics/
http://nerdist.com/pop-culture-icons-meet-ancient-egyptian-art-as-hero-glyphics/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 19:30:36 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=226418It’s been said that things like Star Wars and superheroes are our modern day mythology, and to a large extent, that’s very much true. This is exactly why these pieces from artist Josh Lane, featuring heroes from various aspects of nerd culture, but rendered in the style of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, are so very, very cool. More often than not, Egyptian hieroglyphics displayed their gods, goddesses and heroes, so mashing those up with our own modern day mythos is kind of a no-brainer. I’m just surprised it took as long as it did for someone out there to do it right.

There are twelve pieces in total; three feature heroes from Marvel Comics: the Avengers, the X-Men and Spider-Man. Of course, Star Trek and Star Wars are included as well. (How could they not be?) Video game culture is represented with some Legend of Zelda action, and for you Whedonites out there, yes, there is indeed a Firefly piece. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers made the cut too, and even the characters from Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass show up in this series. (But really, no DC heroes? I think we need another series of these to get made in order to rectify that oversight.) And there are also a couple of surprises in there that you probably weren’t expecting.

You can check out all twelve pieces in the gallery below, and artist Josh Lane has prints of each of them for sale at this site.

]]>http://nerdist.com/pop-culture-icons-meet-ancient-egyptian-art-as-hero-glyphics/feed/1Nerdist News Talks To The KICK-ASS 2 Casthttp://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-talks-to-the-kick-ass-2-cast/
http://nerdist.com/nerdist-news-talks-to-the-kick-ass-2-cast/#commentsSun, 18 Aug 2013 00:59:32 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=86585Nerdist News’ own Dan Casey was on the scene at Comic-Con in San Diego to catch up with the cast of Kick-Ass 2. Dan talked to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, and Lindy Booth about the feature, arriving in theaters this weekend.

The sun shines down hard onto the Kick-Ass 2 Comic-Con playground. Actor John Leguizamo mightily lifts a couch and moves it over for us to sit down on, under the shade. Event assistants rush over to offer aid, but John politely refuses while cracking jokes. Comedy is his super power. As a kid, John lived in a tough New York neighborhood and used humor to defuse relentless bullies. A franchise like Kick-Ass is right up his alley.

Leguizamo can’t help but laugh and ponder while he recounts the first time he saw Kick-Ass, “I didn’t know what the hell to expect. But it knocked me over, man, ‘cuz it was so… I mean it’s such an incredible, valuable story. The violence and the profanity, you just can’t believe it’s coming out of that little girl’s mouth. I loved it! It won me over.“ Known for his raw humor, honesty and profanity, Leguizamo now joins the cast of Kick-Ass 2 in the form of Javier, a new character addition to the Kick-Ass franchise. The highly anticipated sequel hits theatres August 16th, 2013.

Not knowing what character he would be playing, Leguizamo underwent extreme superhero enthusiasm on the phone call with director Jeff Wadlow. “I was like ‘No way, I can’t believe it – I’m gonna be a superhero!? Oh, yes, oh, my God!!’” He starts joking around and rattling off his superhero wish list: “I was like ‘I’ll shoot up steroids, I don’t care, man! I want a special power. I know what kind of costume I want.” We had to know what he envisioned! “I wanted to be capeless! And I wanted it to be, like, more flesh looking… like, you couldn’t really tell if it was flesh or costume. Kind of weird! But [Jeff] says, ‘No, you’re gonna be you.’ I was like, ‘Oh wow, really? That’s kinda boring…. You know, it ended up being really great because Chris and I sorta created this Batman/Alfred thing. You know?” A slight pause before he adds, “He’s the superstar, and I’m his bitch. And that’s okay.”

Christopher Mintz-Plasse reprises his role as Red Mist, but this time with a brand new NSFW moniker: The Motherfucker. “I’m supposed to try to tell him what to do,” Leguizamo says, “because I’m his surrogate dad. His parents are gone. I’m supposed to take care of him. But he doesn’t listen to me. He is a little pain-in-the-ass, little Motherfucker (laughing). I’m tryin’ to make a man outta him. I can’t let him go out there in the world and get his ass kicked. That doesn’t work, so now I gotta round up a whole set of villains to take care of him. And then I end up being the catalyst why he goes from Red Mist to Motherfucker.”

Leguizamo loves comics, subculture, and nerd culture. After all, in 1993, he played the iconic Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Although the movie was a failure at the box office, it doesn’t go without historical consideration that it was first live-action video game movie. Leguizamo gives a wry smile, a rare blend of folly and honor as he thinks back on the reception of Super Mario Bros. over its 20-year life span. “It was incredible before it came out (shakes his head), and it’s incredible now! Back then, not so much. But now, people… kids grew up with that. So we were like the iconic video game. The first ones.”

Video game movies and comic book movies are two different beasts. It’s refreshing to hear John’s humorous, yet poignant, perspective as he’s had experience in the adaptation of both genres. “It makes sense, it makes sense. I mean, comic book movies have a story arc, video games don’t. So you have to create a legend, which doesn’t exist… more than just a legend. It has to have the mechanics of the script. And it’s harder in a video game. Because, it doesn’t really have a ‘beginning’, a ‘middle’ and an ‘end’ that’s emotionally satisfying. I gotta say I’ve been in a couple book adaptations and I’m very intrigued by the process. It doesn’t always work. And I think part of the flaw is when you stay too loyal to the original material.”

He searches for the emphasis he wants to convey. “You really… you really gotta… you gotta stray from it, man. You gotta take creative license. Otherwise, it’s two different mediums and they serve two different audiences. And you have to not be so loyal. You really don’t.” Leguizamo also compares a book-to-movie adaptation he did in 2007, Love in the Time of Cholera, one of the great books of all time. “But you can’t just take what’s there. You can’t. You gotta make your own movie. Your movie’s gotta stand on its own.”

Nerdist heard that Leguizamo has a new television series coming out; Being fans of his legendary one-man shows, we wondered if his TV show will reflect a similar tone. He was more than surprised that anyone even knew about his TV deal. Although it’s all still on the hush, John dropped a little hint of what we can expect if everything goes according to plan. “I mean… I haven’t closed the deal yet. I’m meeting this week. We’re in talks. I already pitched it. They love the story and I can’t wait to close this week, hopefully. We’re really close. It’s not gonna be like my one man shows, but it’s definitely gonna have the tone of my own comedy, you know? Very dark, very edgy, very vulnerable, very sexual. Very awkward and flawed (laughs)!”

Those very reasons are why we’re glad to see Leguizamo cast in Kick-Ass 2: Dark, edgy, vulnerable, sexual, awkward, flawed. “Ya! I love this. Like Spawn. I love Spawn. That crazy, quirky little cult, sub-cult hit? This reminded me of Spawn a lot in that same ‘thinking outside of the box.’ These misfits, outcasts… you know, surviving in America. I love those stories.”

Although he may not be playing the fleshy, capeless superhero of his dreams, Leguizamo has already gained hero status in the eyes of millions. He loved his experience this year at Comic-Con. “I love walkin’ around and seeing the make up of the people. The fact that at least 60% of them are Latin, black and Asian… and they’re all nerds and comic book fans… that really, I dunno. That warms my heart. ‘Cuz sometimes you just think that, I dunno, that we don’t exist or we aren’t an audience. And you come here and you go, wow the majority of the audience is people of color, and then you go, ‘why not more superheroes of color to serve this underserved group’, you know? It makes me glad. It makes me want to create for these people.”

A Kick-Ass 2 extended red band trailer is here, unveiled at the movie’s Comic-Con panel, and I’m pretty sure that’s all the information you need. There’s gunplay, exploding cars, Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes, Christopher Mintz-Plasse chewing up the scenery as he assumes Red Mist’s new persona, a villain with a name not suitable for family media, and plenty of new footage. NSFW, incidentally. It’s coming August 16th.

Riddick also debuted a red band trailer at Comic-Con:

In an extended and more violent version of the previous trailer for the third Riddick flick, Vin Diesel is back and trapped on a planet full of alien predators, and when he sets off an emergency beacon for help, another wave of mercenaries, and someone with a particular motivation, show up to capture him. Sure, like they have any chance at all against a guy who can send a blade through a guy’s head with a kick while being restrained by chains. This one opens on September 6th.

]]>http://nerdist.com/comic-con-new-kick-ass-2-and-riddick-nsfw-red-band-trailers/feed/0Comic Book Day: Pull List for June 5th, 2013http://nerdist.com/comic-book-day-pull-list-for-june-5th-2013/
http://nerdist.com/comic-book-day-pull-list-for-june-5th-2013/#commentsWed, 05 Jun 2013 07:01:26 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=77794What a time to be a comic book fan! The Guardians of the Galaxy cast list gets crazier and crazier as Benicio del Toro signs on, Man of Steel comes out next week, DC launches its Villains Month and now it’s Comic Book Day! Today’s pull list is chock full of juicy books that you’re not going to want to sleep on. With new offerings from Mark Millar, the return of Astro City, and the beginning of the end for Locke and Key, you can bet your bottom dollar that this is one mother of a pull list.

Top Picks

Kick-Ass 3 #1 | Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.

Released today is the first issue of the final installment in Millar’s violent, iconic, and strangely relatable story of one teenager’s journey from skinny, comic-adoring melvin to a beefed up, comic adoring hero with a purpose. The plot picks up right where volume #2 left off, as Kick-Ass attempts to lead his ragtag team of youths and adults contributing to the Justice Forever cause without the now-imprisoned Hit Girl’s helping hand. Though the resilient young femme has left behind detailed instructions on how her compadres can bust her out of the big house, Lizewski is struggling to rally the real life supes to actually pull off the jailbreak. To add to their troubles, since superheroes have been criminalized, Kick-Ass and his team are now attempting to avoid cops as well as criminals, and in Millar’s universe, punishments are about as realistic on the body, life, and mind as they can get. (No takesies-backsies.) Most of all, we love that even through the genuinely heavy settings, the dialogue remains clever, funny, and true to nature of teenagers under pressure. Fans of Romita’s art won’t be disappointed, either– if book #1 is any indication of what he has in store, it’s more of the gritty, stylized violence and rich palettes that we loved from the first books. We’ve already donned our purple wigs and squeaky green wetsuits in anticipation for the rest of the series. — WM

Astro City #1 | Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross

The classic series makes its triumphant return to Vertigo as Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and co. bring The Samaritan and Honor Guard back into our lives in a new, ongoing series. The original series, which ran from 1995-1998, held the superhero genre up to the looking glass, offering a ponderous, thoughtful examination of the role of superpowered individuals and their positions within society. It was as much about the citizens of Astro City as its metahuman protectors, and it made for some compelling stuff. Now, the original creative team has reunited – including two covers from the inimitable Alex Ross – and they’ve still got it. Astro City #1 is a great hopping on point for newcomers to the franchise and a terrific return to form for longtime fans. It’s been a minute since we’ve been to Astro City and, I’ve got to say, it’s damn good to be back. — DC

Locke and Key: Omega #5 | Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

In case you’ve been living under a comic book-shaped rock, you should know that Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke and Key is one of the best comics on the market. Unfortunately, it’s nearly at its end, which is the fate of all good things if idioms are to be believed. Omega, the latest L&K arc, was supposed to run for seven issues, but according to Rodriguez’s Twitter, issue #5 will be its last. Fortunately, it’s not the end of the series, but still – I just love this book so damn much. In any event, this issue takes us back to the Drowning Cave where, at long last, the black door is open. The kids trapped in the cave have a simple choice: resist and die or enter the door and be lost forever, which seems awfully similar to dying. Living shadows continue to run riot and there’s a palpable sense that Locke & Key’s doomsday clock is uncomfortably close to midnight. In any event, it’s an epic finish to a terrific arc and, per usual, leaves us hungry for more. — DC

While there may not be anything you can do to stop the inexorable march of time, you can always count on Cosplay Friday to liven up your day and help you kick off the weekend in style with the latest in greatest cosplay from around the web.

Today’s offerings include… you know what, we’ll stop spoiling what you’re about to see and let you get to the scrolling.

What do you think? Quemment below and let us know! Got some hot cosplay tips or someone you think should be featured? Quemment or drop me a line on Twitter! Want even more content like this? Get the TOKYOPOP newsletter delivered to your inbox!…

]]>http://nerdist.com/cosplay-friday-27/feed/2Interview with “The Croods” and “The Office” Actor Clark Dukehttp://nerdist.com/interview-with-the-croods-and-the-office-actor-clark-duke/
http://nerdist.com/interview-with-the-croods-and-the-office-actor-clark-duke/#commentsFri, 22 Mar 2013 23:20:49 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=70595
Clark Duke is on a bit of a hot streak. After being a series regular on the ABC Family series Greek, and appearing in movies like Sex Drive, Kick-Ass, and Hot Tub Time Machine, he’s become one of Hollywood’s go-to nondescript, bespectacled funnymen. In 2012, he became a cast member for the last season of The Office, and today, his voice appears alongside Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Cloris Leachman in the Dreamworks animated film The Croods, about a family of cavemen who are forced to leave the safety of the cave when something earth-shattering happens. We spoke to Clark about the voice-over process, joining a hit show as it’s winding down, and the future of Clark and Michael.

NERDIST: Tell us a little about your character, Thunk, and how he fits in with the rest of the characters in The Croods.

CLARK DUKE: My character is the son of Nicolas Cage and Catherine Keener’s characters and I’m kind of the least… the least everything. I’m the most likely to die; I’m the least qualified to do anything, and Emma’s character’s the much better hunter and more what Dad wants out of a son than I am. So, I’m kind of just always in danger, for the most part.

N: Was it fun to play a character who just doesn’t get anything?

CD: Yeah, it’s fun. You know, the funny part about it is that he’s dumb — well, he’s more naïve than dumb, almost. The thing I kept thinking was, “Would he know this word?” Because we couldn’t say things like “Velcro” or stuff like that because it didn’t exist. He kind of walks this weird line of “how much does he know?”

N: He sees new things all the time, so how do you convey that he’s not afraid of literally everything he sees?

CD: Well, I think at one point the Sun is scary to him.

N: Was this your first time doing animation voice work like this?

CD: I had done quite a few episodes of Robot Chicken which is kind of the same general principle, but this is the first thing on this scale that I’ve done, certainly. It’s pretty crazy because, once I started seeing some of the animation, it was amazing how they animate it to reflect some of your vocal ticks and pauses and stutters. The animators record you the whole time and then watch that video to animate the character to mimic your face to some extent. It’s pretty amazing, the scope of it. I think the directors [Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco] have been working on it for almost a decade, which… I would go crazy.

N: At what point did you record your audio, or were you constantly going back in to record more stuff?

CD: It’s kind of been over the last two or three years. Usually, it’d be, like, once a month, I’d go in for a couple hours at a time. It’s a pretty bizarre job; a lot of the times you go in and record things by yourself. You’d almost never see the other actors. Maybe one time I was recording at the same time as somebody else. It was just little pockets of work spread over, literally I think, two or three years.

N: Was it a case of you having to come in and re-record something based on how one of the other actors recorded something?

CD: I think so, yeah. You’d definitely go in and re-record some of the stuff. I think a lot of that also reflects the changes in the script. Yeah, there’s a lot of that. They do multiple cuts and screenings to kind of reevaluate it… Animation’s crazy. [laughs] They’re essentially making the movie eight or nine times.

N: How much freedom did they give you in the booth to play around and come up with stuff?

CD: They give you a ton of freedom. As an actor, you kind of go in, and this might just be from not understanding how it works that much, thinking you have to stay within the confines of it, but they’re actually really encouraging and want you to play around with it and find funny moments. They’re probably way more open to improv than a lot of jobs.

N: Some of Thunk’s scenes that stand out are when he’s teaching Douglas, the dog-alligator creature, to do tricks; was that one of these cases where they just said, “Hey, have at it!”?

CD: Yeah; I mean, even his name, “Douglas,” is named after my agent. [laughs] But we even had a debate about that; like, why would he know the name Douglas? Where does the name Douglas come from? Cuz their names are all, like, “Eep” and “Thunk” and stuff. Where does Douglas come from? But I think the argument that it was funny won out in the end. You gotta suspend some disbelief at some point. But, yeah, a lot of that stuff is a good example of just riffing in the booth.

N: Overall, did you enjoy the process of recording the voice for The Croods?

CD: I did. Like I said, it’s such a weird, specific gig. It’s hard to compare it to anything else, but yeah I really enjoyed it. I would do another one. I kinda didn’t know how I felt about it the whole time I was doing it, but then, once I saw the movie, I was like, “This is amazing!” You just can’t believe that your weird voice is coming out of this beautiful, 3D, animated cartoon.

N: Transitioning to some of the other stuff you’re working on, what was it like coming into The Office, which is such an established show, and having it be for its last season?

CD: At first, it was a little daunting. Like the first week or two. Everybody there was really lovely, but, like you said, there’s this legacy that the show already has and I don’t want to be like a Ted McGinley or something. You don’t want to ruin the show, but I don’t think I did and I had a blast and, you know, the reason I wanted to do it is because this is sort of our Seinfeld or Cheers; this is my generation’s big show. Culturally and historically, it’s this era’s most important show. And I was a fan of the show, and the British Office was incredibly important to me, too. So, for me, it was kind of a dream job just to go in for one year on this big, established thing. There was never anything riding on me, so there was no pressure. So, it was kind of like I’d won a contest or something, especially when you walk on the set for the first time.

N: At this point in the season, you’ve taken a much more central role, being in Jim’s chair; was that something you knew about from the start, or was that a development that came along as the season progressed?

CD: I think I’ll move chairs a little more before time’s over with. They don’t tell you a whole lot in advance. I remember when there were six or eight [episodes] left, all the actors met with the writers to talk about what we wanted to see happen towards the end, but as far as specific beats and story stuff, they didn’t tell me a whole lot. I’m sure they told Krasinski and Jenna and those guys because they’re producers on the show, but I was as surprised as anybody.

N: We’re big fans of the Clark and Michael webseries you did with Michael Cera; seeing as he’s a co-founder of the JASH network, is it possible the show will come back?

CD: I don’t know. You know, Eric Wareheim [also of JASH] has been on The Office a couple of times this season, and I was talking to him about it the other day. I haven’t talked to Mike about it at all. He had mentioned the JASH thing to me a few weeks ago and I told him I had an idea for a short I wanted to make, but, I don’t know, it’d be a pretty good platform for it, I guess. I don’t know that I’d want to do another whole series of it, but I definitely think you could do a special, the way The Office or Extras have the Christmas specials…. It would be so dark! It would be so dark I don’t think people would want to see it.

N: [laughs] Yeah, your characters would have to be in a pretty dark place.

CD: Well, I never told anybody this on The Office, but in my head, the Clark on The Office is Clark Duke from Clark and Michael.

N: Oh, that’s awesome!

CD: I don’t think we ever establish my last name on The Office, so in my head I just thought this was Clark from Clark and Michael and he’d just washed out and ended up at this job. I play to the camera a lot, so I thought he’d be used to having cameras around and be aware of them. [laughs]

N: That makes me want to go back and watch the whole season again with that in mind.

CD: [laughs] Well, I’ve got to say, as a fan of the show, I think it’s been a strong season. The last few episodes are pretty exceptional. The last four episodes are super satisfying as a fan.

N: So, finishing up, the next thing we’re going to see you in is Kick-Ass 2 in which, from the trailers anyway, you get to be a superhero. What was that like?

CD: I mean, it’s just another bucket list dream come true. I think I was the only person on the first movie who was super excited to meet Mark Millar. No one understood why I was so excited to meet him. I’ve been collecting comics since I was five years old. I legitimately love Kick-Ass; I love the comic and I love the first movie, and I think Mark Millar just gave me a costume because he knew how much I wanted it.

N: Did you do a lot of training for action scenes?

CD: I did a little bit, but nothing like Chloe [Moretz] and Aaron [Johnson], who trained for weeks. I think I might have had, like, a day. [laughs] It was fun, but it was really hard to shoot, physically. We were over in England and, you know, these are not big-budget movies, so the pace and the page count per day is kind of grueling. We were working a lot of weekends, six and seven day weeks and that kind of thing. So it was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever shot. Plus, just the realities of wearing this 25-pound costume every day. That being said, though, the movie is going to end up being the most rewarding thing for me. Being on Monday Night RAW was a bucket list thing, playing a superhero is a bucket list thing.

The Kick-Ass 2 Red Band trailer is here and holy smokes, does it pack a punch. Clocking in at 2:38, this NSFW trailer offers an in-depth look at the kind of over-the-top superhero insanity that we can expect from Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as they continue to deliver masked justice, one punch at a time. The sequel to 2010’s Kick-Ass, which itself is based on the Mark Millar comic, picks up shortly after the events of the original film. A proliferation of masked vigilantes have joined the fight against evil, including a nearly unrecognizable Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes, Mark Millar’s answer to The Comedian. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who donned the mantle of the nefarious Red Mist in the original film, returns in the even more villainous role of…The Motherfucker. Say what you will, but it gets the point across.

Kick-Ass 2 hits theaters on August 16th. What do you think of this early look at the film? Quemment below and let us know.